The Stoke-on-Trent School of Anaesthesia

Staff at University Hospitals of North Midlands have been recognised for driving forward cultural change and improvements in their department.

The Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) from Royal Stoke University Hospital has been awarded Team of the Month for their collaborative approach to improving their department.

The team were nominated for implementing Improving Together, a Trust-wide, long term culture transformation journey giving responsibility and decision making back to staff within their own areas.

The improvements have included daily huddles where the team can share problems, ideas, views and celebrate success to benefit patient care. Examples of changes and improvements include the introduction of different coloured mop caps for airway trained staff making handover more efficient for both teams and safer for the patient and installing POD (Patients own drugs) locker on wards. This has meant that patients have safe and timely access to their routine medication, whilst cutting down on medicine waste and rework for doctors and the pharmacy team.

Lorraine Whitehead, UHNM Director of Estates, Facilities and PFI, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to present the Team of the Month award to PACU. The team are such worthy winners of this award due to the positive changes the team have implemented to ensure patient care is the best it can be. A big congratulations to everyone!” 

Claire Brooks, Acting Nurse in PACU, said: “I am very proud of all the work that the improving together team have done so far and we just have to build on what we have already achieved to drive practice forward for the best of our patients.”

The Stoke on Trent School of Anaesthesia team were very pleased to get their Transfer Training Course back on the road following the disruption to face-to-face teaching over the past couple of years. The school has provided Transfer Training to Doctors for a long time.  But, this is the first time its worked with the Staffordshire University Simulation and Patient Safety team to provide a working ambulance, technician, manikin, kit bags, defibrillator and portable ventilator for a hi-fi experience.

Consultant Anaesthetists Dr Felicity Avann and Dr Ben Taylor ran the one-day Course at Stafford Post Graduate Medical Centre (making use of the new Extended Reality Laboratory) and received great feedback: 

• Really good hands-on experience with the ambulance and sim suite!
• Fantastic session, led by expert faculty. Very much appreciated! Well organised and great facilities.
• Really enjoyed the day. Enthusiastic, proactive, approachable teachers. So many hands on tips!
• The session was excellent, in part because of the high quality of trainers and their experience level/background. Use of the ambulance and sim lab added to the experience.

It looks like everyone enjoyed the day!

The school aims to provide an annual Transfer Training Session, so if you are interested in attending the next one, make sure you are signed up to the mailing list on this website.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL RECEIVE OR BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO EMAILS SENT FROM GMAIL ACCOUNTS. THIS IS A TRUSTWIDE IT ISSUE. PLEASE COMMUNICATE WITH US VIA NHS.NET, DOCTORS.ORG.UK OR YOUR TRUST EMAIL ACCOUNT. IF YOU CAN. PLEASE NOTIFY US ASAP IF YOU CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SO THAT WE CAN UPDATE OUR DISTRIBUTION LISTS.

THANK YOU

For those who have moved onto the new curriculum on the LLP please ensure the following:

You must update your Current Placement “Stage” to reflect the fact you are now on the new curriculum (Example: “Stage 1” as opposed to “Core” or “ACCS Stage 1” as opposed to “ACCS” etc.).

Without this change your Progress Doughnut may turn completely red and you will continue to receive the red error message at the top of your LLP page when clicking on the Review Curriculum button:

• This is done by navigating to the bottom of your LLP Dashboard until you reach the Current placement and profile section.
• Then click on the View and add placements button, followed by the Edit Placement button when the next screen opens.
• The Edit Placement screen will then open.
• Scroll down to the Stage section and select the correct stage for the curriculum you are currently assigned.

We have had a number of requests to move immediately to the next stage of training once the top-up paperwork is completed. You will all have been emailed with the answer. Please see pdf which clarifies the SSA position after discussion with the RCoA and HEEWM.

The GAS our popular Trainee newsletter is looking for new articles from Trainees around the country.  Please see link below for the guidelines for articles:

The Gas Newsletter | The Royal College of Anaesthetists (rcoa.ac.uk)

If any Trainee’s are interested in having an article published in Gas to email gas@rcoa.ac.uk or kmorris@rcoa.ac.uk

Karen Morris​  |  Regional Representatives Coordinator Royal College of Anaesthetists Churchill House | 35 Red Lion Square London | WC1R 4SG Email: kmorris@rcoa.ac.uk Direct Line: +44 20 7092 1573 Switchboard: +44 20 7092 1500 Web: www.rcoa.ac.uk  |  Twitter: @RCoANews